Molecular and cellular interactions defining the tropism of Plasmodium vivax for reticulocytes.

Molecular and cellular interactions defining the tropism of Plasmodium vivax for reticulocytes. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2018 Oct 23;46:109-115 Authors: Kanjee U, Rangel GW, Clark MA, Duraisingh MT Abstract Plasmodium vivax is uniquely restricted to invading reticulocytes, the youngest of red blood cells. Parasite invasion relies on the sequential deployment of multiple parasite invasion ligands. Correct targeting of the host reticulocyte is mediated by two families of invasion ligands: the reticulocyte binding proteins (RBPs) and erythrocyte binding proteins (EBPs). The Duffy receptor has long been established as a key determinant for P. vivax invasion. However, recently, the RBP protein PvRBP2b has been shown to bind to transferrin receptor, which is expressed on reticulocytes but lost on normocytes, implicating the ligand-receptor in the reticulocyte tropism of P. vivax. Furthermore there is increasing evidence for P. vivax growth and sexual development in reticulocyte-enriched tissues such as the bone marrow. PMID: 30366310 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research